Wells ISD updates COVID guidelines

WELLS – Officials from Wells ISD announced an update Friday regarding a stay-at-home period for students exposed to COVID-19 in the home.

“Due to the new TEA Guidance published yesterday afternoon, Wells ISD is updating the stay-at-home period

for students who are exposed to COVID-19 in the home,” Superintendent Jill Gaston said in a letter to WISD families.

“Wells ISD will require household-based close contact students to stay at home during the below stay-at-home

period if they are in an area with high or rising COVID case rates. This applies specifically to students who

are close contacts because an individual who lives in the same household is COVID-19 positive,” she said. “With the new variant and the rate that children are contracting the virus, this is in the best interest of the students of Wells ISD.”

CDC guidelines state that a child will stay home for 14 days after last contact with a person who has COVID-19.

Families are advised to watch for fevers of 100.4 degrees or higher; a cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of the virus.

They also are advised, if able, to “stay away from people you live with, especially people who are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.”

Gaston said that to shorten the 14-day period, local public health authorities will make the final decisions about how long a quarantine should last, based on local conditions and needs.

“We will follow the recommendations of our local public health department if your child needs to quarantine,” she said.

The district is requesting a negative test result from a student from 5 to 7 days after exposure; a student may return to the campus 10 days with a negative test result and no presentation of symptoms, she said.

Instructors will work closely with families to ensure classroom assignments and activities are sent home and supports for students are in place,” Gaston said “This may vary for each student – we will work with individual families to determine what is best.”